Hälfte des Lebens

E808596

Hälfte des Lebens is a renowned lyric poem by German Romantic poet Friedrich Hölderlin that poignantly contrasts the fullness of life with its subsequent desolation.

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Hälfte des Lebens canonical 1

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf lyric poem
poem
author Friedrich Hölderlin NERFINISHED
belongsTo German canon of classic poems
countryOfOrigin Germany
firstStanzaMood joyful abundance GENERATED
form lyric
genre Romantic poetry
hasCriticalReception considered one of Hölderlin's most important short poems
widely anthologized in German poetry collections
hasInterpretation allegory of human life divided into youth and old age
reflection of Hölderlin's own biographical crisis
hasLine "Die Mauern stehn / Sprachlos und kalt"
"Im Winde / Klirren die Fahnen"
"Mit gelben Birnen hänget / Und voll mit wilden Rosen / Das Land in den See"
"Und wo den Sonnenschein / Und Schatten der Erde?"
"Weh mir, wo nehm’ ich, wenn / Es Winter ist, die Blumen"
hasMetaphor contrast between summer abundance and winter barrenness
hasMotif lake
nature
seasons
swans
walls
weathercocks
wild roses
yellow pears
hasTimeDivisionConcept half of life
influenced later interpretations of Romantic fragmentation and crisis
isRenownedFor concise expression of existential contrast
formal concentration
intense imagery
language German
literaryMovement German Romanticism NERFINISHED
numberOfStanzas 2
originalTitle Hälfte des Lebens NERFINISHED
period Romantic era NERFINISHED
secondStanzaMood bleak desolation
structure two-part contrast
studiedIn German literature courses
Romantic poetry curricula
theme aging
contrast between fullness and desolation
existential despair
loss
transience of happiness
titleLanguage German
titleMeaning "Half of Life" in English NERFINISHED

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Friedrich Hölderlin notableWork Hälfte des Lebens